Hearing such a lavish declaration, the woman from Tianyue Headhunters fell silent for a moment, then decisively said.
"No problem. We will mobilize all our resources to serve you.
Mr. Li, if you agree, we can sign the service contract immediately. Once the contract is signed, you only need to pay a 10% service fee deposit and we will begin searching for suitable companies right away.
At present, using the lowest estimate, that is, an acquisition amount of twenty million, the service fee would be 15%, or three million. You would only need to pay 10% of that, which is three hundred thousand as a deposit."
Ten percent of the service fee as a deposit?
Li De decisively shook his head. If he handed over three hundred thousand, how was he supposed to play this game? He only had three hundred fifty thousand total.
"Impossible. The initial search doesn't consume that many of your resources.
I can only give you a 5% deposit. If you don't agree, I will immediately switch to another headhunter."
After speaking, he added with some impatience, "I chose Tianyue Headhunters because I believe in your professionalism. Give me an answer right now. If not, then perhaps we can cooperate another time."
His tone suggested he was ready to hang up at any moment.
The other side's breathing clearly grew more hurried.
"All right, Mr. Li. But regarding the service fee itself, there will be no further discounts."
Li De revealed a smile. "I said already, as long as you can provide me with the highest-quality service, I don't care about the service fee.
Pleasure doing business."
The other party obviously let out a big sigh of relief, her tone filled with excitement.
"Pleasure doing business."
Not long after, Tianyue Headhunters sent over the service contract. Both parties even met in virtual video. With full recording and documentation, they signed the contract amicably.
At first, the Tianyue Headhunters side was somewhat doubtful of this deal. After all, he'd only provided 5% of the service fee as a deposit, and they had specially assigned a vice president-level executive to oversee it.
Although a deal earning the company a few million in profit wasn't exactly huge, it still merited a closer look.
However, the moment that vice president saw the inescapable aristocratic demeanor in Li De's every movement, he immediately cast aside all suspicion.
There are two things in the world that cannot be concealed: poverty and being in love.
The Tianyue Headhunters VP had met countless people, top-tier elites with annual salaries in the millions or tens of millions, some with assets in the hundreds of millions or even billions.
The difference between a true upper-class figure and an ordinary person was obvious at a glance. This was definitely someone of high status and power, a true super-rich second-generation.
No ordinary family could cultivate someone who carried such an unquestionable aura in even the most casual words.
Li De, of course, had no idea what the other side was thinking. After confirming all of Tianyue Headhunters' credentials and information, and spending fifty thousand to have a renowned law firm review the contract online and confirm it was flawless, he signed it and transferred the first payment, one hundred fifty thousand, into their account.
With three hundred fifty thousand, he had completed the first step of leveraging a multi-million acquisition.
As for contacting other headhunting firms, after asking a few about their quotes and proposals, he didn't bother paying them further attention.
Tianyue Headhunters' pricing was still quite reasonable.
---
The first batch of candidate companies was ready much sooner than Li De had expected, just the very next day.
A total of seven large gaming clubs were listed neatly on his desk, and all of their owners were open to selling.
With the progress of technology, the gaming industry had become increasingly robust and the market ever larger.
By now, it was generating nearly 20 trillion RMB of output annually. Many sectors of the entertainment industry had already been overtaken by virtual gaming, and gaming had become the absolute mainstream of entertainment.
Such a massive market naturally attracted countless people vying to claim the sweetest slice of the pie.
But not every company or gaming club could survive; many went under every year.
Sword and Shield Club was one of them.
"President Chen, Tianyue Headhunters and the buyer will be arriving at the company at three o'clock."
Hearing this, Chen Feng slowly raised his head and looked at the graceful figure outside his desk, her face tinged with melancholy.
He let out a quiet sigh.
"Little Zhao, you've been with me for so long. If I sell the club, will you hate me?"
Zhao Yue shook her head. "President Chen, Sword and Shield Club is something you built with your own hands. I don't think anyone could love it more than you."
Chen Feng was silent for a moment before he spoke slowly. "If the company's cash flow hadn't run into trouble, I wouldn't have been willing to sell. This place holds all of our shared youth."
His voice was very low. He had founded Sword and Shield Club ten years ago, transforming from a 25-year-old young man into a 35-year-old middle-aged uncle.
Life always tried to force people to their knees. Some still gritted their teeth and held on; others had already been tamed.
As people gradually matured, everyone had to give up many things they couldn't bear to lose. He hadn't played the games he once loved for three years now.
A look of nostalgia crossed Zhao Yue's alluring face. "Yes… I joined the company when I was twenty-two. Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye."
Chen Feng shook his head and laughed. "All right, enough of that. Finding a good buyer for Sword and Shield Club is also a good choice.
I just hope the person Tianyue Headhunters brings won't disappoint me."
Zhao Yue nodded slightly. "If we're not satisfied, Sword and Shield Club absolutely will not be sold."
Chen Feng agreed with that wholeheartedly. Though he urgently needed the money, this was still his life's work. He couldn't bear to see it ruined.